Tuesday, we were up bright and early the next morning (5.40am) to be picked up at 7am to catch the 360 Discovery ferry to Gela Island, and Taronaira village. We were greeted very warmly by Charles and Fr. Stephen and his wife Joanna, and the chaplain of St Clare's clinic, Fr. Sam. Fr. Hudson, the Chaplin to Taroanaira joined us as well for refreshments, and to talk to me about the service that night where I was preaching, and Stephen and Joanna were being admitted as Novices.
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| That is Tulagi in the distance. This was taken at the Fox memorial cross |
We then jumped in a little plastic boat for a 30-40 minute journey around the coast to Tulagi, the headquarters of the DOCS – Diocese of Central Melanesia. This island was the first colonial capital of the Solomon Island, and the scene of fierce bombardment and fighting during WW2. Fr’s Derek Vagi (vicar General) and Sam (Diocesan Secretary) showed us around, took us on a tour of the island (not large) on a road build by the Americans in WW2, and showed us all the deserted factories which make life hard for the locals.
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| Bounana (furthest point) from Fox memorial cross |
We had lunch and then went by our little craft for another 30 or so minutes back across the channel the ferry had come sown and up to this little island of Bounana where a training school is based on the site of an old girls school. It was really run down. They are expecting about 100 students (31 for the catechist school and the rest, including 10 girls to the rural vocational school) in the coming weeks, without enough classrooms, dormitories and most important water tanks!!! Peter the assistant principle looked very worried. Then back to Taronaira on the little plastic boat. I had to admit my wee soft bottom was very sore a few hours later. I am not used to such hard seats. We went miles, with no life jacket in sight, and in quite lumpy sea. Our boatmen were very good and did well to keep us relatively dry. (Except for the crossing the channel, where even with a tarpaulin in front of me the water ran down my front.)
At Taronaira we showered, rested, then went down to the church and prepared for the Eucharist, and practiced the admission service with Stephen and Joanna. It was such a privilege to be part of that, and to be able to preach on the parable of the treasure in the field and the pearl of great price. On the basis of one of the commentaries I read suggested that compared to the usual reading that the kingdom being the treasure and we giving all for the treasure, when read with all the other parables where God is the actor, we are the treasure and god gives all. Then I talked about Francis’s discovery of that, and finished by asking how they treated themselves as treasure, and how they treated each other as God’s treasure. I really enjoyed thinking about it and putting it together as I talked. And it was fun watching how devoted they robe, prepare for the Eucharist, conduct the service, with prayers for all kinds of actions we just do without stopping to think really. I was also intrigued at how they focused (like the book of common Prayer) on our sinfulness. That was hard work for me. I do wonder at what point we accept the forgiveness offered and live a resurrected life?
After the service we gathered for a family meal with the whole congregations, which was a big percentage of the village population. This included gifts, and speeches and talks. Mine was pretty bad, but Helene and Sarah had a great time with the Mothers Union where they talked about St Clare and then got the people to talk about Charles Fox. We were supposed to finish at 8pm. We started the meal at 9pm and finished the talks at 10.30pm. A long day!!! Then bed, thank God. I lay listening to our hosts talking in the next room thinking “how will I get to sleep?” and then woke several hours later needing the toilet and realising everyone had gone to bed. Sleep was not a problem.
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